Button



April 29, 1930. F, R, WHITE 1,756,715

BUTTON Filed Oct. 2, 1929 "I'IIFIIII'IIIIIII J i I I NTOR' 1 Ranklz'n 12. Whife,

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PATENT BUT- TON COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT BUTTON Application filed October 2, 1929. Serial No. 396,893.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in buttons, and more particularly to a button of the type or class shown in a previous patent granted to me, No.

a 1,538,015, on May 19, 1925.

In that patent, the body of the button was described as made from a slug or blank of malleable metal, such as aluminum or zinc, this metal forming the body or rim on which 19 was placed a cap, and also forming the hub of the buttom into which'the tack fastener was to be driven.

"Onev of the objects of the present invention is to provide a similar type of buttom,

but insteadof using a slug to form the body of the button, I use a small shell and a cover or cap, which contains a soft metal ring that is rigidly forced in the cap to form substantially a unitary structure.

Again, instead of using a ring, I may use a relatively thin disk of aluminum which is to be unitedwith the cap to give the cap the desired shape and strength and into which u cap is then secured a small shell which forms 2 the body of the button.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a button wherein a brass or other similarly formed metal cap has placed therein a small ring or disk of soft or malleable metal, the cap and ring or disk being then subjected to suitable dies to thereby effect a rigid at.- tachment between the cap and said disk or ring, after which the cap may be swedged or pressed about a metal shell to thereby complete the button head. v

Still another object of the invention is to provide an ornamented cap in which there is placed a small amount of soft metal, so that when the cap is subjected to pressure,the soft metal will force the-cap to any shape desired and will form arigidattachment therewith, after which a relatively cheap shell may be secured within the rim of the cap, which shell, -of course, will afterwards receive attack or staple fastener.

Still another object of the invention is to provide what is known as a high grade but- }ton, wherein the cap preferably brass, may be forced :to any. desiredshape and have any desired insignia -t here on,. and wherein a relatively small amount of malleable or soft metal, preferably aluminum, is utilized to add strength and body to the cap, after which a relatively cheap shell may be forced within the cap and the cap rimmed to thus afford a permanent attachment between the shell and cap and complete the button head.

With these and numerous other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combination of parts, that will be more fully described and pointed out in the'claims.

Referring now to the drawings showing a preferred embodiment,

Fig. 1 is a plan and section of. the cap greatly exaggerated for sake of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a similar plan and section of a disk or soft metal blank;

Fig. 3 is a plan and section of a soft metal ring, the dotted lines showing the cap;

Fig. 4 is av plan and section of the blank or disk fitting within the cap;

Fig. 5 is a plan and section of the cap and blank after the same have been subjected to heading dies;

' Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a die for joining the cap and disk, as shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a reduced sectional view showing a complete assembly;

Fig. 7 a shows a slightly modified form where the ring of soft metal is used and an additional anvil, which may be in the form of a hard metal disk;

Fig. 8 is a View in elevation of a button, as attached to the goods.

Referring now more particularly to the several views, and for the moment to Fig. 1,

there is shown a metal cap 1, which may be formed of brass and may be ornamented with insignia, trade-marks, or other desired subject matter, as there is'a certain large class in the. trade (manufacturers of overalls) that requires buttons of this character, For the purpose of illustration, however, I have simpfly shown a plain cap free from ornamentation.

This cap 1 is provided with the upstanding peripheral flange 2, which is to be greater in height than the thickness of a small ring 3. This ring 3 is preferably made of aluminum when 5 skilled in the art.

and is designed to just loosely fit within the rim 2 of the cap 1, as may be understood from Fig. 3.

New in Figs. 2 and 4, I have shown a filler of slightly different form, that is, instead of using a ring 3, I-have shown a small metal disk 5, which is also to be formed of aluminum or other desired soft metal, and

likewise this loosely fits within the cap be' fore the cap and 'disk are subjeeted'to the dies.

It will be understood that I may use either the disk or the ring. However, if the ring 3 is utilized rather than the disk, I employ an additional hard metal disk 6, which may be placed within the cap, which disk is less in diameter than the 'riiigiB, and this hard metal disk will reinforce the button head, so that the button head will notjbecome bent or disfigured the tack-fz'istener'is to be driven up within the hub. In other words, the disk 6' is an anvil to deform the tack fastener.

Referring now for the momentvto Fig. 5,

there is shown the cap 1 in which there has been placed say the soft metaldisk 5, this cap and disk-haying been subjected to a heading die 7. i

This die is simply fragmentarily shown, comprising a plunger 8 fitting within the blocks 9 while the space 10 is shown, into which the metal cap may be forced;

It might be here mentioned that when the brass ca with a soft metal rin or disk is subject d to great pressure in a die of this kind, the soft metal will force he brass shell to the desired shape, that is, to the shape of'the dies. 7

iIn rather the vided with it will be seen that this cap 1 being a plain circle'is now prothe scallops 11, the soft metal, due

.to pressure of the plunger, forcing the cap and part of the soft metal to the shape of the die; I r

It will also be understood that the die' can be of any desired form, both as to the rim and face, and that the soft metal disk or ring can be'such as to meet the requirements. F or iiistance, the outline of the button might be hexagonal or octagonal or, in fact, any outline, rather than provided with the scallops,

- as shown;

' sense, amalgamated. and jointed togetheiy'so asto pract ca'lly form a rigid unit.

After thesecaps are so formed, a previously "formed body or shell 12 is fastened within the rim 2 of thecap and the rim 2 then swedged or pressed over the peripheral rim 13 of the body of the shell.

7 Of course, this is also done by dies and although I have not shown'a die for this purpose, it will be readilyunde'rstood by those the periphery of the r being irregular in tightly hold the cap and shell together to complete the button head.

In Fig. '7, I have shown the cap inwhich there has been pressed the metal ring 3, or

might even have had the disk4pressed therein, and there is also shown the additionalhard metal plate or anvil 6.

In this Fig. Y I have also'shown'an im'p'erforate hub and an anchor or die 14, so that the tack 15 may be driven up into this hub and within the anchor or die, as is the common practice, but it will be understood that this an-. ohm or die 14 migh't be dispensed'wi't-hif the hard metal disk 6 is used. Any desiredtype'of anvil might be employed to mutilate the prong of the tack l5 whenit is driven into the hub of the button or, in other words, the gist of the invention is the manner in'whic'h the cap, together with its filler, is made", together with the body shell, rather than theformation of the hub and the manner of receiving the tack fastener. j From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a button wherein the cap may be of brass and ornamented as desired to suit thetrade. i

It will also be seen that by using a small disk or ring'of soft malleable metal, I can strength en the cap and, at the same time, force the brass cap, without fear of mutilation, into the shape and form desired.

Lastly, I can take the brass cap, and by placi ig but' a small 'ainountof aluminum therein press the cap to the shape andcoiifiguration desired, and then take a relatively cheap body shell and rim the cap over the shell to thus complete an exceedingly strong and efiicient, as well as an ornamental, button head, and all at a reasonably low cost.

. ent granted to me and LeonardR. Carley for flexible buttons, No. 1, 718,843, dated June 25, i

1929, which showsa flexible body shell. In other words, any desirable form of shell might be used, as the shell per se does not form the gist of the present invention.

llaving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to'seoure by Letters Batentisr V I I H 1. A button head comprising a bodyof shell formation, a cap having a soft metal insert pressed to distortion within the peripheral IlIIIOf the cap to forma substantiallyunitary cap. and the rim of saidcap being r -Over he body shell. e

' '2, A button heaa'c mpesee of a shell body, a cap mounted uponthe shell, the'said'cap mi g ellp a l un wi hiih eu,

shape and said cap having a soft metal insert pressed to distortion Within the irregular periphery of the cap.

3. A button formed of metal having a shell body and circular upper rim, a circular cap mounted on said rim and the cap having an irregularly shaped periphery, the said cap having a soft metal insert and pressed in the irregularities of the cap and the said cap having its rim pressed down upon the rim of said shell to form a nonseparable unit.

at. A button head comprising a body of shell formation, a circular cap having a metal insert fitting therein and pressed to distortion Within the peripheral rim of the cap to form a rigid and substantially unitary cap and the rim of said cap being pressed over the body of the shell to form the complete button head.

5. A metal button comprising a shell body adapted to receive a tack fastener, said shell body having an upper rim, a metal cap having a peripheral flange, a disk of relatively soft metal fitted Within said cap and compressed into the inner peripheral edge of the cap, the soft metal disk and the metal cap forming a unitary structure and the rim of the cap being swedged over the shell rim of the body. Y

6. A metal button comprising a body having a peripheral rim, said body adapted to receive a tack fastener, a metal cap having a filler of relatively soft metal and the soft metal and the cap being pressed to form an irregular periphery about the cap, the soft metal and the cap being substantially a unitary structure and the rim of the cap being clamped over the rim of the shell body.

7. A metal button comprising a cap, a disk of aluminum fitting therein, said cap and said disk being pressed to form an irregularly shaped outline cap and ornamentation in the cap the soft metal filling the irregularities in the periphery of the cap and forming a substantially integral structure With the cap, a body adapted to receive a tack fastener and the said cap tightly encircling said body to thereby complete the button head.

8. A button comprising a body adapted to receive a fastener, a cap having a soft metal insert, the soft metal insert pressed to distortion into the peripheral edge of the cap to form an. irregularly shaped cap and to strengthen the cap, a shell body having an anvil therein, the body adapted .to receive a tack fastener and the cap sWedged about said 1 shell body to complete the button head.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE. 

